As part of a joint initiative by Jim Daly, Minister for Older People and the HSE Services for Older People, an extra €1 million in funding is being made available to community and voluntary groups to continue to support older people, family carers and significant others to stay well and remain connected with their local community. Approximately €250,000 of this funding will be dedicated to dementia related initiatives.

The closing date for receipt of applications for the Community & Voluntary Support Grant is Thursday 15th August 2019 with funding allocated in August / September 2019. The grant funding information can be found here.

The World Health Organisation defines an 'age-friendly' community as one in which service providers, public officials, community leaders, faith leaders, business people and citizens recognise the great diversity among older persons, promote their inclusion and contribution in all areas of community life, respect their decisions and lifestyle choices, and anticipate and respond flexibly to ageing related needs and preferences.

In terms of the demographic of the Mid-West region, the 2011 Census shows that 12.4% of the region’s population of 379,327 was within 55-85+ age bracket (88,546).

The population of Limerick stood at 191,809 in 2011. The percentage of the population within the 55-85+ age bracket was 25.9% (43,691 people).

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show that while the population of Limerick grew by 3.4% between 2006 and 2011, the number of people aged between 55 and 85 years increased by 13.4%. Furthermore, the average age of a person living in Limerick in 2006 was 35.6 years of age compared to 36.5 years of age just five years later.